PLAYOFF PICTURE: The Yankees need a win tonight or a loss by Baltimore to clinch the AL East division title… enter play today with a 1.0G lead over Baltimore, and the best record in the AL… own the tiebreaker with Texas after winning the season series against the Rangers, 4-3, but not with Baltimore or Oakland.
ð If the Yankees win tonight: Will be the #1 seed and face the winner of the Wild Card game in a best-of-five series beginning on Sunday at the Wild Card team’s home stadium.
ð If the Yankees lose tonight and BAL loses: Yankees win the AL East; seed in postseason is determined by winner of the OAK/TEX game; Yankees will begin the ALDS on the road either way.
ð If the Yankees lose tonight and BAL wins: Yankees and Orioles play a tiebreaker game tomorrow at Camden Yards (time TBD); winner is AL East champ, loser is Wild Card to face loser of today’s OAK/TEX game; location depends on head-to-head tiebreaker, followed by best interdivisional record tiebreaker.
ð If the Yankees lose tonight, BAL loses and OAK wins: Yankees win the AL East and will be the #2 seed and begin a best-of-five series on Saturday at Detroit.
ð If the Yankees lose tonight, BAL loses and TEX wins: Yankees will be the #1 seed and face the winner of the Wild Card game in a best-of-five series beginning on Sunday at the Wild Card team’s home stadium.
ð If the Yankees lose tonight, BAL wins and OAK wins: Yankees and Orioles play a tiebreaker game tomorrow at Camden Yards (time TBD); winner is AL East champ, loser is Wild Card; if Yankees win tiebreaker, they begin the ALDS at Detroit on Saturday; if Yankees lose tiebreaker, they are the Wild Card and play TEX at home on Friday.
ð If the Yankees lose tonight, BAL wins and TEX wins: Yankees and Orioles play a tiebreaker game tomorrow at Camden Yards (time TBD); winner is AL East champ, loser is Wild Card; if Yankees win tiebreaker, they would be the #1 seed and face the winner of OAK/BAL Wild Card game on the road beginning Sunday; if Yankees lose tiebreaker, they travel to OAK for a one-game Wild Card playoff on Friday.

RAUL’S LATE-NIGHT RUMBA: OF/DH Raul Ibanez provided the game-tying RBI and game-winning RBI in last night’s win.
ð According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he became the first player in Yankees history to hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning and then get a walk-off RBI later in the same game… became the first Yankee with a game-tying RBI in the ninth & a “walk-off” RBI in extras since Graig Nettles in 1973.
ð Became the first player over the age of 40 to get a “walk-off” RBI for the Yankees since Enos Slaughter on 8/4/57 in game two of a doubleheader vs. Cleveland (two-out single in the bottom of the ninth).
ð Marked the fourth time a Yankee hit a home run this season to tie the game in the ninth inning or later…Ibanez (who also homered on 9/22 vs. Oakland to tie the game at 9-9 in the 13th) became the first Yankee to do so twice in the same season since Gary Sheffield in 2004.
ð Was his fourth career pinch-hit home run and second this season (also 9/22 vs. Oakland)…10 of his 19HR this season have tied the game or given the Yankees the lead…11 of his homers have come in the sixth inning or later

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The Red Sox are awful. Worst team from Boston since the early 60’s. I almost feel bad for them. The Yankees have the best record in AL—–very impressive performance in the last month of season. They held onto that one game lead with tenacity. Time to rest a couple of days and then it is playoff baseball. The hope is the pitching will be good—–if it is—–good things await the team and their fans!

much better positional placement in lineup than last night. Should never have had Tex in clean up position especially after seeing him hit into DPs twice. Cano is much better in clean up and Tex given the way he’s hitting is better in 6th position behind Swisher who has been hitting the ball well. Tex has to earn his way back to 4th or 5th and he hasn’t done that yet. Looks like a good lineup and with Kuroda pitching we should get it done. Gotta win this one. This is big to have home feel advantage through AL playoffs and not to have to get caught up in trying to beat the O’s in on game and then maybe getting caught up in the whole wild card scenario. Go yankees!

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